Britain faces more than 80 flood warnings as relentless rain continues to sweep across the country and drench the nation.
The Environment Agency (EA) has issued 91 flood warnings, mostly scattered across the south and south-west England and the East and West Midlands.
On Saturday morning, the EA also had 261 flood alerts in place, meaning flooding is possible, spanning much of England.
Meanwhile, Natural Resources Wales has 11 flood alerts in place.
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service warned: ‘Due to heavy prolonged rainfall today the local levels at River Dene have risen to a state where flooding is imminent.’
On Thursday, the Met Office announced that rain had fallen every day of 2026 in south-west England and South Wales.
Both have experienced a far wetter than average January, with 50 per cent more rainfall than usual, the forecasters said.
Southern coastlines in the south-west will see blustery showers on Saturday and South Wales will also see heavy showers, forecasters said.
On Saturday morning, the EA also had 261 flood alerts in place, meaning flooding is possible, spanning much of England, as a Met Office weather map shows widespread rainfall
Sunday will bring showers and some sun, but more wet and windy conditions are to move in from the west at the start of next week
Sunday will bring showers and some sun, but more wet and windy conditions are to move in from the west at the start of next week.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin said: ‘Friday’s been a very soggy day across a good chunk of the country, cold wind continuing to feed in the cloud and the moisture across north-east England and eastern Scotland.’
The relentless rainfall has prompted social media users to vent their frustration with the weather.
‘Sorry but what is this weather in the UK right now? It is absolutely depressing,’ one user wrote on TikTok.
Another added: ‘It’s been raining every single day. Let us rest, we get it.’
And one joked: ‘The umbrella is my most prized possession at this point.’
The Met Office has revealed that a ‘blocked pattern’ in the jet stream is to blame for the particularly soggy spell.
‘For many of us, the past few weeks have felt relentlessly wet,’ it explained.
Visitors stand in the rain at the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol. The city has seen the longest spell of consecutive days of rain since records began
Don’t leave home without it! A pedestrian in Bristol takes their umbrella on a walk in the city
Flood water covers a road close to Harbridge in Hampshire, amid more than 80 flood warnings
Brits have a reputation for talking about the weather, and as the UK suffers its 37th consecutive day of rain, social media has been alight with chatter
‘Repeated bands of rain have swept in from the Atlantic, leading to increasingly saturated ground, travel disruption, and a general sense that winter has been stuck on repeat.
‘While amounts are trivial on some days, and some areas will have seen dry days, the UK has seen a wet start to the year, particularly in Northern Ireland and southern England,’ Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said.
Over in Reading, rain has fallen for 25 consecutive days – the longest unbroken spell ever recorded in the town.
The Met Office has revealed that the jet stream is to blame for the wet weather.
This fast–moving river of air flows several miles above Earth’s surface, and is positioned further south than we typically expect for this time of year.
‘When the jet stream shifts south across the Atlantic, it tends to funnel low–pressure systems directly towards the UK, increasing the frequency and intensity of rain–bearing weather fronts,’ the Met Office explained.
Cold plunges over in North America have helped to strengthen the jet stream, which is then propelling areas of low pressure towards north–west Europe.
However, high pressure has also established over parts of northern Europe at the same time, resulting in what the Met Office describes as a ‘blocked pattern’.
Fog and rain converged in the capital this week as the inclement weather continues
Rain, rain, go away: A children’s playground is flooded in Hampshire amid continuing rainfall
This has stopped the jet stream from shifting – and has limited the UK’s chance of drier weather.
The Met Office added: ‘This blocking high has also prevented the weather fronts pushing through and clearing the UK.
‘Instead they have been stalling over the UK, leading to persistent slow moving bands of rain.’
The Met Office confirmed that last month was also one of the wettest Januarys on record in Britain – with 17 per cent more rain than usual.
Northern Ireland was particularly wet, with data confirming that the country experienced its wettest January in 149 years – and its second wettest on record.
‘January has been exceptionally wet because we’ve seen a very persistent Atlantic weather pattern,’ explained Met Office science manager Dr Amy Doherty.
‘A strong jet stream has repeatedly steered low–pressure systems towards the UK, bringing frequent spells of rain and wind.
‘With little opportunity for drier conditions in between, the ground has become saturated, so even moderate rainfall has had a greater impact.
‘This succession of Atlantic systems is the main reason rainfall totals this month are well above average for many areas.’
